Sir Joseph Sebag-Montefiore (29 August 1822 – 18 January 1903) was a British banker, stockbroker and politician.

Life

Sebag-Montefiore was the son of Solomon Sebag and his wife Sarah Montefiore. He was the nephew and heir of

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Sheriffs of the City of London, Sheriff of London. Born to an History ...

. On 29 August 1885 his surname was supplemented with royal permission with that of his mother's family as Sebag-Montefiore.

Career

Sebag-Montefiore was a prominent figure in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

and founded the stockbroking firm of Joseph Sebag & Company. He held a number of public offices, including Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and for the

Cinque Ports The confederation of Cinque Ports ( ) is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to ...

, Lieutenant of the City of London, and

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instru ...

. For a long time he was the officially recognized representative of the English Jewish community. Amongst other positions he held, he was, from 1894 to 1902, the President of the Municipal Council of Spanish-Portuguese Jews in London. After the accession of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

in 1901, Sebag-Montefiore headed the deputation of the representatives of the Anglo-Jewish institutions visiting him to congratulate. He was knighted in 1896. He was also Consul-General for Italy in London from 1896 to 1903, and was a Companion of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

. Sebag-Montefiore died at 4, Hyde Park Gardens, London, on 18 January 1903.

Family

Sebag married in June 1851 Adelaide Cohen, daughter of Louis Cohen and Rebecca Floretta Keyser. She died in 1895. They had six children. His eldest son Arthur Sebag-Montefiore (1853–1895) had predeceased him, and his estate passed to Arthur′s widow Henriette Hannah née Beddington (1859–1924) and their eldest son Robert Sebag-Montefiore (1882–1915). The writer

Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore ( ; born 27 June 1965) is a British historian, television presenter and author of history books and novels, including '' Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar'' (2003), '' Jerusalem: The Biography'' (2011), '' The Rom ...

is a descendant of Joseph′s youngest son Major Cecil Sebag-Montefiore (1873–1923).Obituary, BJPsych Bulletin, Royal College of Psychiatrists
"Stephen Sebag-Montefiore Doctor and psychotherapist"
/ref>

Life

Career

Family

References

Further reading